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A long time ago I picked up a small jar of tamarind concentrate to try. Since the one time that I used it, it has been sitting at the back of my fridge, forgotten. I recently came across a recipe for
shrimp and avocados in a tamarind sauce
that sounded good and reminded me of that little jar of tamarind concentrate lost in my fridge. Tamarind is tart and it works well in dishes where you are trying to get a nice balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy. The prawn and avocados in a tamarind sauce came together quickly and easily. This dish was pretty tasty and I really enjoyed the tamarind flavour. The avocado added a nice coolness and creaminess to the dish. Jasmine rice is quickly becoming one of my favorite rices for its aroma and flavour and I enjoy cooking it in coconut milk to add an extra layer of flavour. I served this dish on coconut jasmine rice and the tamarind sauce mixed in with the coconut rice was a nice flavour combination. I am looking forward to using tamarind again and I will have to keep an eye out to see if I can see some fresh tamarind to try.

Looks good. Tamarind, I find, is one of those wonder ingredients that really transform a dish.

I wouldn't want to discourage you from fresh tamarind, but they are a lot of work. As in, they can take a good couple of hours to peel, soak, and wring. Concentrate is probably the best way to go. Or, if you want something closer to the soaking and wringing experience, a block of tamarind pulp. We have some pictures up on our blog of TS preparing some tamarind here: http://eatingclubvancouver.blogspot.com/2008/03/pad-thai.html

Other tamarind dishes:http://eatingclubvancouver.blogspot.com/search/label/tamarind

Hey I see you around What´s For Lunch, Honey a lot? Great blog, eh? I am hosting an event dedicated to trying foods from other bloggers. Meeta is in the spotlight for July. I really hope you can participate :-)

tamarind is one of the common spices that we add in Indian food, but never before did I think that using it is a "lot of work"! Actually I simply buy the fresh tamarind without the hard rind..but with all the stone pits and most fibres. Soak it in warm water (if in a hurry) for 5 mins, squeeze it in my hands..to get the pulp:)ur lovely dish reminds me of typical south-indian dish..yummy:)

Dawn: See my the last comment for finding the tamarind concentrate. As for cookbooks, I am now finding so much great material online that I have not had much time for cookbooks. When I first started cooking I was really into Japanese food and I picked up and really enjoyed a couple of Japanese cookbooks. I then moved onto a few Italian cookbooks, etc.

Please come to my house and cook dinner for me! I love tamarind! I will provide some nice wine and pleasant witty conversation... and my husband won't mind.. he likes tamarind too.. and the kids... they can have rice and soy... they like that... Whaddaya say?!

Hi Kevin, I made your dish a couple of nights ago and turned out really good! Thanks so much for sharing. The only thing that I had to change is the quantity of Tamarind, I thought it was a little much, which may make this dish too sour. I added one table spoon and had to increase the sugar to 2 table spoon. Next time I make it, I will use one tsp and I believe it will be good, at least for my taste :) In our cuisine, and I am from Baghdad by the way, we use tamarind with dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) to give the dish an interesting kick without having to add a lot of lemon juice. I really like your blog, it is very neat and deliciously attractive. I am looking forward to trying your other recipe (Tilapia with pesto and roasted tomato). Have good evening!

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.